Cards Come Up Short to Miami in ACC Quarterfinals

Thursday, March 12

Charlotte, N.C. | Spectrum Center

2:30 p.m.

University of Louisville

23-10,11-7ACC

Miami

25-7,13-5ACC

Louisville

Miami (FL)

J'Vonne Hadley runs back after scoring at the ACC Tournament

March 12, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Postgame Press Conference Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes

After trailing by as many as nine in the second half, Louisville pulled within one in the final 90 seconds

By: Lori Harmon

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A late-game surge fell short as the sixth-seeded University of Louisville men's basketball team fell 78-73 to third-seeded Miami in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Thursday afternoon.

"Give credit to Miami. It's a really good team, tough, physical, well-coached," said UofL head coach Pat Kelsey. "They'll be a handful to deal with in March. I'm proud of my team. I'm always proud of my team. This is a great group of guys to coach. I feel like from a kind of mojo or momentum standpoint, we're in a really good place. The locker room is in really, really good condition."

Three Cardinals (23-10) finished in double figures led by Ryan Conwell's 22 points, hitting 8-of-20 from the field. The senior guard also paced Louisville with nine rebounds and three blocks. J'Vonne Hadley tallied 19 points, going 7-of-12 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers to go along with six boards, three assists, two blocks and a steal. Khani Rooths added 11 points off the bench.

The Cards opened the scoring with a layup by Ryan Conwell and the teams traded baskets and leads to start the game until Louisville used a 10-0 run to take a 20-13 lead – the largest of the half for either team. The Hurricanes (25-7) answered with a 13-5 run over the next 2:56 to go back on top 26-25. A Hadley 3-pointer temporarily quieted Miami's momentum as the Cards reclaimed the lead at 28-26 with 7:02 on the clock. The Hurricanes pulled ahead again at 33-20 with 4:41 left in the half, but the Cards used an 8-4 run to enter halftime up 38-37 after 12 first half lead changes and six ties.

Entering the break, Hadley led all scorers with 14 points behind 5-of-7 shooting from the field including a pair of 3s and pulled down five rebounds. Conwell joined him in double figures with 11 points. The Cards shot 56% (14-of-25) in the first 20 minutes and held a 20-15 edge in rebounds.

Miami opened the second half with a 10-3 run to take a 49-41 lead into the first media timeout. When play resumed, the Cards struck with a 3-pointer by Khani Rooths, but the Hurricanes countered with back-to-back baskets to take their largest lead of the game at 53-44 with 13:54 on the clock. Louisville pulled within six twice before Miami pulled ahead by nine again at 61-52 with 8:21 left. The Cardinals battled back with a 10-2 run keyed by seven points from Conwell over the next two minutes to pull within one at 63-62.

The Hurricanes pushed their lead back to five before a dunk by Sananda Fru followed by a Hadley steal which led to a McKneely basket trimmed the margin to one again at 69-68 with 1:23 left in the game. Miami went on to outscore Louisville 9-5 down the stretch with the Cards pulling within three twice, ultimately falling 78-73.

Overall Louisville shot 48% (27-of-56) from the field compared to Miami's 47% (27-of-58) and held a 36-33 advantage in rebounds and 13-12 in second chance points. The Hurricanes and held a 44-38 edge in points in the paint and went 19-of-29 from the free throw line compared to the Cardinals' 13-of-17 performance from the charity stripe.

Louisville will learn its NCAA fate on Sunday when the bracket is revealed at 6 p.m. (ET) on CBS.